1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a cabinet for an outdoor section of an air conditioner, and more specifically to a cabinet with features that facilitate its manufacturing and assembly.
2. Description of Related Art
Air conditioners, including heat pumps, often include an indoor section with an indoor heat exchanger for cooling or heating the interior of a building and an outdoor section with an outdoor heat exchanger for exchanging heat with the outside air. The two heat exchangers are part of closed loop refrigerant circuit that also includes a compressor and an expansion device, which compress and expand the refrigerant respectively. As the refrigerant moves through the circuit, its direction of flow determines whether the indoor heat exchanger cools or heats the air inside the building.
A typical outdoor section of an air conditioner includes a cabinet that supports and shelters numerous components, such as the compressor, various electrical components, the outdoor heat exchanger, and a fan for drawing outside air through the heat exchanger. The compressor relies on the base of the cabinet for structural support; the electrical components need to be sheltered from rain and snow; and the fan and heat exchanger need structural support, exposure to outside air, and protection from the weather and physical impact. Moreover, the cabinet should be readily manufacturable and provide convenient access to any components requiring service or repair. Providing a cabinet that effectively serves all these needs without compromise can be challenging. Nonetheless, many efforts to provide such a cabinet have been made with some success.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,195 discloses an outdoor cabinet that houses electrical components at the top of the cabinet. A small cover can be opened or removed for providing ready access to the electrical components underneath. However, the edges of the cover, being exposed along the top of the cabinet, create a generally unsheltered seam that may leak or may be difficult to seal against rain and snow.
Another cabinet for an outdoor section of an air conditioner places its electrical components in a compartment underneath the cabinet's top cover, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,153,310. To accommodate various models of air conditioners, the compartment has numerous fastener and passage openings for installing various combinations of components. However, having some openings left open for some models may allow moisture to leak into the compartment from other areas of the cabinet that may be more exposed to outside air.
Some cabinets include features that enhance various functions of the cabinet's base. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,471,633 discloses a non-corrosive plastic base with integrally formed mounting pads that can support various size compressors and other components. It also includes means for handling condensate. Other cabinet bases that include special features for draining condensate are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,748,827 and 4,748,828. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,306,121, a cabinet base is shown having a novel means for mounting the compressor. An intermediate plate between the compressor and the base includes elastic isolators both above and below the plate to avoid transmitting compressor vibration to the base.
Another outdoor cabinet, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,168,248, discloses a plastic base with positioning cleats that help align the side panels, or sheet metal wrapper, to the base. Once in position, a series of screws fasten the side panels to the side of the base. Each of the outer side panels has an L-shape to extend the length of two sides of the base. L-shape panels may simplify assembly; however, later servicing may be more difficult, as technicians may have to fully uncover two sides of the outdoor cabinet even in situations where access to only side is needed. Moreover, many of screws for fastening the wrapper to the base are along the lower edge of the cabinet. Such a location may be awkward to reach once the cabinet is installed outside at generally ground level.